Can a 20-year-old Tour de France bike actually compete with a modern superbike?! We got our hands on an ICONIC 2005 Quick-Step team edition Time VXRS – a bike from the era of Tom Boonen and Paolo Bettini, dripping with cycling history.
We’re putting this legendary machine up against the pinnacle of modern engineering, the Pinarello Dogma F, to find out what two decades of innovation really buys you. We compare the mythical ride quality of the Time with the razor-sharp performance of the Pinarello, and then we put them on the clock in a head-to-head power test. The results might just surprise you!
Chapters ⏱️
00:00 – Intro: A Genuine Pro Team Legend
00:52 – The Test: Retro vs Modern Against The Clock
01:23 – The History Of This Bike: Luca Paolini’s 2005 Ride
02:14 – The History Of The Brand: Time Bicycles’ Golden Era
02:50 – How It’s Made: Time’s Unique Carbon Weaving Process
03:54 – The Mythical Ride & The Tom Boonen “Ferrari” Legend
04:21 – First Ride Impressions: Simon on the Time VXRS
07:02 – The Modern Challenger: Pinarello Dogma F
07:36 – Head-to-Head Climb: The Showdown Begins
09:56 – Post-Ride Debrief & Initial Thoughts
12:02 – Swapping Bikes: Alex’s Impressions
15:54 – The Results: How Much Faster Is A Modern Bike?
16:25 – The Modern History of Time Bicycles
17:21 – Final Verdict: Would You Actually Ride The Old Bike?
20:11 – Does It Deserve Its “Legendary” Status?
20:57 – Outro & Thanks to Vintage Velo
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Which bike do you think wins, and how much of a difference do 20 years of innovation really make?
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#gcn #cycling #roadcycling #roadbike #bike #bikes #bikelife #timebikes #retrovsmodern
📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images
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33 Comments
Which bike do you think wins, and how much of a difference do 20 years of innovation really make?
I was surprised that we still had hex bolts on the cranks in 2005.
I still have a VXR with Campag groupset from that era. Was a Tom Boonen fan. Was my race bike for a few years, and still gets used nowadays. Weird to think it's a vintage bike.
Pure class
Had Alex just been for a swim, and was about to go for a run? Can’t explain the lack of sockage any other way…
I want to stress the music is wrong. For such modern antique bikes, no 80s electro music should fit. You should use some rap/hip-hop stuff that really resembles the 2005s. It's either your editor boy is too young to dissect the difference or it's him/her just being lazy. 😂
Nice and fun video, but pleaaaaase shave the legs, SI!
I don't know which one I would rather ride, but I definitely know which one I would prefer to work on.
Still think of my 2007 Cannondale System6 Ultegra as 'modern'! In fact, apart from having compact gearing, 9-speed cassette (not a freewheel), and being half aluminium and half carbon fibre, it's not much different from bikes I rode in 1970s, just much more comfortable. Don't ride it now as the 23C tyres and narrow rims are dangerous in ruts and grooves on todays SE London and Kent roads
New bikes are so ugly
From that era: I had a Tifosi Audax… aluminium from the days when that was harsh. It replaced a crashed and bent Reynolds 531 frame and cost less than my budget but felt great when I did a test ride at the recommendation of the LBS. 20 miles was brutal! Very glad it was stolen despite being locked (sold secure silver, not gold) and the insurance paid for something more comfortable (and faster)
I like the classic bikes but I like more the modern days bike
Did you calibrate the power meters?
"Cocaine is a refreshing change from EPO" – useful consumer advice
After all the trash talking Si missing his pedal on takeoff was friggin hilarious!
Should have grabbed a Cervelo S3 – probs still holds up
Should’ve brought the 1995 and 1985 models too
That Pinarello…. 🤢
Gotta say, that pinarello is uaf.
Why not compare it to a 2025 TIME bike ???
I had Vxrs in my living room sold it 😢now only regret
Back when the forums were rife with "Campy vs Shimano" threads 😂
Does the 5kg weight in the Pinarello saddle bag make a difference?
Btw. where is Hank ? Has he left the GCN Team ? I would be grateful if you would inform your community of personnel changes, and I would be nice if the affected colleagues would say goodbye to the community. Many former GCN presenters have simply disappeared, which is not very nice.
No socks?! Unforgivable lol
I love modern bikes, but pinarello is ugly, i don't like curvy tubes 🙁
as always a rim brake bike is lighter 🤣
You guys always say buying second hand is a great option but also upgrading a cheaper bike isn't worth the money. I think it is when you have a great older bike like this one and you buy really good either second hand parts or old stock new in box or Asian market quality components and see how it fly's. I've built several bikes using older frames and the best newer second hand or Asian market parts and they flew for way less than the cost of summin like a new dogma I'd love to trick this older time bike with newer stuff and Lego it alive. Like when you renovate an old house. When you get it right, it's amazing.
1 bike is outstanding the other a dogma.
Short sockers unite!
I would love to see the Time with modern wheels and wider tires if they fit
without the same tires aka rollling resistance..nothing is learned
Yeah you could buy 36cm bars. And those 22mm tubs, if you pumped them up to even 85psi for your weight you'll have over inflated them. I've still got 22mm tubs and at 105kg I wouldn't have them at more than 92psi at the rear. As for the 'feel', having a bike that sets you on fire usually means you're getting too much feedback from vibration, so the ride of the frame is meant to be a bit subdued, this means it's really effective at not transferring road buzz or being skittish. If you're racing, surely you want a neutral feeling bike right, one that gives you some feedback, but isn't getting out of shape when you're really pushing it.